Thursday, April 17, 2008

"This is the best hamburger I've had in a long time." -Leo Pike



There is a burger and hot dog chain restaurant in Richmond, Va that I think is an interesting brand. All of their food is apparently "famous". While "famous" might not be an added value they sure live up to their brand promise. Their hamburgers and hot dogs are made with high quality meat, which makes them taste like real meat. My friend Tristan and I were discussing what kind of restaurant we think Five Guys is classified as. Is it fast food? We knew the food was fast, but to us the connotation fast food meant something less. Also this so-called "fast food"/restaurant/chain/outstanding place adds a lot of extra value to their products for their customers. They provide an array of free toppings, which includes: grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, etc.. If this is a fast food chain joint, then why are they offering so many toppings for free? Isn't that the essence of a chain restaurant?

When the customer orders fries they put the fries in a cup in their brown paper bag. They then take the french fry scooper and dump another serving of fries into the brown paper bag. This makes the customer think that they are getting more bang for their buck. Tristan also thinks the grease that appears on the outside of the brown paper bag is added value. I agree with that disturbing pleasure. The whole point of this post is an opportunity that I think some brands are missing out on. I predict that in the future more brands will understand how small added values can add up to create a big impact in their consumers' minds.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Monday, March 24, 2008

google is cool, BUT ChaCha is cooler

In my creative brand management class I am working on a semester long white paper project on the future of online retailing. While researching this topic I came across what I believe to be the future of the online search engine. ChaCha is the human search engine. It is the only search engine of its kind. I like to call it my personal search secretary. A live person (guide) does the searching for me. I can also chat with the live guide to help them understand exactly what I am looking for. These two-way conversations are the key to searching success. Instead of consumers talking to the brand, the brand needs to talk back. The results come out much more specific than a google search would. Another great thing about this website is that it automatically saves my searches for up to 60 days. I can't remember how many times I wish I could have gone back to previous searches.

Thank you ChaCha for making my life a whole lot easier!

Oh yeah..did I forget to mention this service is free?

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Let me introduce myself. My name is Meagan.


Welcome to my amazing blog!
I know that yall are just dying to read everything that's in my brain (just kidding). I promise I won't write anything boring (except for this intro).

I'm a 1st year creative brand manager masters candidate at The VCU Brandcenter. The Brandcenter is an awe inspiring experience. I feel extremely lucky for the opportunity to dig deeply into some of the world's most powerful brands.

I grew up in the most diverse cultured city in the World: New Orleans, Louisiana. I then pursued an advertising undergraduate degree at The University of Alabama. I enjoy painting with my friends, cheesy reality tv shows, cheese, golfing, fishing, watching stupid youtube videos for hours on end (talking dogs, yatta, Leprechaun in Mobile, Frankie & Johnnie's Furniture), advertising, planet earth marathons, dancing, and listening to New Orleans brass bands.

Oh yeah.. when I was little I aspired to be a jingle writer.